twelfth

/twɛlfθ/ [tʰw̥ɛɫfθ]

//twɛlfθ/ [tʰw̥ɛɫfθ]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"twelfth" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“twelfth” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,859. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,859
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ordinal form of the number twelve, describing a person or thing in position number 12 of a sequence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-twelfth · twelfth · English

twelfth · rank #14,859 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,859
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tyre

Nearest frequency peer: tyre (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “twelfth”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “twelfth” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for twelfth
PropertyValue
Headwordtwelfth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/twɛlfθ/ [tʰw̥ɛɫfθ]
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,859
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “twelfth”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).twelfthlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “tyre” (#14,860), “trustworthy” (#14,857), “ultrasound” (#14,861). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “twelfth” is #14,859. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around twelfth (IPA /twɛlfθ/ [tʰw̥ɛɫfθ]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,859 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The ordinal form of the number twelve, describing a person or thing in position number 12 of a sequence.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for twelfth, with forms such as "tewlfth", "ttwelfth", and "tweflth". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English twelfthe, twelfte, from Old English twelfta (“twelfth”), from Proto-Germanic *twaliftô (“twelfth”), equivalent to twelve + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognate with Scots twalt (“twelfth”), Saterland Frisian tweelfte (“twelfth”), West Frisian t… The correct English form is twelfth, spelled T-W-E-L-F-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ordinal form of the number twelve, describing a person or thing in position number 12 of a sequence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how twelfth appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The answer appears on the twelfth page of the book.
  2. She finished twelfth in the race.

Etymology

From Middle English twelfthe, twelfte, from Old English twelfta (“twelfth”), from Proto-Germanic *twaliftô (“twelfth”), equivalent to twelve + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognate with Scots twalt (“twelfth”), Saterland Frisian tweelfte (“twelfth”), West Frisian tolfde (“twelfth”), Dutch twaalfde (“twelfth”), German Low German twalfde, twalvde (“twelfth”), German zwölfte (“twelfth”), Danish tolvte (“twelfth”), Swedish tolfte (“twelfth”), Icelandic tólfta (“twelfth”).

Synonyms

12thXIIthXIIdozenth

This word in other languages

duodécimo(Español)douzième(Français)zwölfte(Deutsch)duodécimo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tewlfth
  • ttwelfth
  • tweflth
  • twelffth
  • twelfht
  • twelfthh
  • twelftth
  • twellfth
  • tweltfh
  • twlefth
  • twwelfth
  • wtelfth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of twelfth - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

tewlfth2ttwelfth1tweflth2twelffth1twelfht2twelfthh1twelftth1twellfth1
Edit distance from "twelfth"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "twelfth"?
"twelfth" is spelled T-W-E-L-F-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /twɛlfθ/ [tʰw̥ɛɫfθ].
What does "twelfth" mean?
As an adjective, "twelfth" means: The ordinal form of the number twelve, describing a person or thing in position number 12 of a sequence.
What are common misspellings of "twelfth"?
Common misspellings include "tewlfth", "ttwelfth", "tweflth", "twelffth", "twelfht". The correct spelling is "twelfth".
How do you pronounce "twelfth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "twelfth" is /twɛlfθ/ [tʰw̥ɛɫfθ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "twelfth"?
From Middle English twelfthe, twelfte, from Old English twelfta (“twelfth”), from Proto-Germanic *twaliftô (“twelfth”), equivalent to twelve + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognate with Scots twalt (“twelfth”), Saterland Frisian tweelfte (“twelfth”), West... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "twelfth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tighten#14,854Tibetan#14,853Watkins#14,866yielded#14,872

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

vascular12 variantssymmetry12 variantsarresting12 variantsBarbados12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list